Québec Marine Transportation Policy - Transport - Gouvernement ...

• Identify the economic and commercial issues that have caused the decline in cabotage and
examine, in consultation with current customers and potential users of new transportation
services, to what extent those contributing factors can be overcome;
• Support the start-up of new marine transportation ventures including financial assistance to
promoters;
• Create a work group in cooperation with carriers to identify projects including cabotage and
intermodal transportation that would be competitive;
• Set up a one-stop access to government services, under the responsibility of the Ministère des
Transports du Québec, to evaluate the practical and profitability aspects of various projects and
to assist promoters in their dealings with governments or other organizations;
• Promote the development of intermodal centres to consolidate freight in order to stimulate the
support of transportation solutions including the marine mode;
• Examine the possibility of modifying current Investissement-Québec programs to consider
marine transportation projects (cabotage).
4.1.2 Supporting greater competitiveness for the
Saint-Laurent
Saint-Laurent ports compete with Atlantic coast, Gulf of Mexico and, to a lesser extent, Pacific
coast ports for overall shipping. As a result of globalisation, we can predict that the competition
to serve international markets will be between interior river networks and rail networks connected
to continental port infrastructures. The cost of inland transportation and various services required
for navigation could make the Saint-Laurent less competitive than other routes.
To help them stay competitive in international markets, some Québec shipowners use open
registries, which do not legally require a connection between point of origin of the vessel, ship
owner, crew or State of registry. This system greatly benefited shipowners and shippers, but
negatively impacted the Québec workforce and economy.
The challenge
In the context of expanding international trade and the economic benefits the shipping industry can
expect, it is in the best interests of Québec to do everything possible to ensure that the shipping
industry on the Saint-Laurent is as efficient and competitive as it can be. This is an area where
Québec companies can position themselves favourably by offering competitive and diversified
services both here and abroad.
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